Reflecting on Melanoma Treatment in 2025 and Looking to the Future in 2026

The start of a new year is a time for reflection and looking to the future. This is an ideal opportunity to highlight AIM at Melanoma’s annual webinar series called The Future of Melanoma Treatment, presented each year in January. Designed for patients, caregivers, and advocates, these webinars feature experts in melanoma discussing the clinical trial landscape and pressing questions in the field. The January 2025 webinar featured Michael A. Davies, M.D., Ph.D. Professor and Chairman of the Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine at MD Anderson, and Hussein A. Tawbi, M.D., Ph.D. Professor and Deputy Chair of the Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine at MD Anderson. It’s interesting one year later to listen to what they anticipated was coming in 2025 and thereafter. A summary of the 2025 webinar is below.

Investigational Therapies, Clinical Trials, and Areas of Focus

Drs. Davies and Tawbi spoke about goals to develop new treatments that are effective but less toxic, such as relatlimab and nivolumab (OPDUALAG). One area of focus is sequencing therapies, such as assessing the impact of utilizing immunotherapy before targeted therapies, identifying which immunotherapy will be most effective in different case scenarios, and determining optimal second line and subsequent lines of therapy. Evaluating the effectiveness of immunotherapies for specific melanoma metastases, such as in the brain, is another priority. The role of adjuvant treatment to prevent recurrence and using all three immunotherapies together are other areas of interest.

New investigational treatments, such as bispecific antibodies, therapies that target new immune checkpoints, and additional T cell therapies are currently being studied. Focusing on new clinical trials, such as for patients with different subtypes of melanoma and for patients with specific metastases, is another priority.

Drs. Davies and Tawbi also reviewed currently approved treatments for melanoma:

Immunotherapy

Drs. Davies and Tawbi highlighted immunotherapy for Stage III and IV melanoma, where most developments have occurred. They discussed anti-PD1 systemic single-agent immunotherapies pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA) and nivolumab (OPDIVO); and the combination therapies nivolumab and ipilimumab (YERVOY) as well as relatlimab and nivolumab (OPDUALAG). They also discussed the localized immunotherapy talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC).

Uveal Melanoma

Drs. Davies and Tawbi noted the 2022 approval of tebentafusp-tebn (KIMMTRAK), the first immunotherapy approved for uveal melanoma. This was the first TCR (T cell receptor) therapeutic and the first bispecific T cell engager approved for a solid tumor.

Cellular Immunotherapy

The discussion included the 2024 approval of the first cellular immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma, Lifileucel (AMTAGVI), a tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy specifically approved for patients who do not respond to the standard single standard agent and combination immunotherapies.

Targeted Therapies

Finally, Drs. Davies and Tawbi reviewed targeted oral therapies for patients with a BRAF mutation, present in about 40% of patients with cutaneous melanoma. There are single agents and combination treatments. The combinations are dabrafenib and trametinib (MEKINIST and TAFLINAR); vemurafenib and cobimetinib (ZELBORAF and COTELLIC); and encorafenib and binimetinib (BRAFTOVI and MEKTOVI). Vemurafenib and cobimetinib (ZELBORAF and COTELLIC) can also be combined with the anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy atezolizumab (TECCENTRIQ).

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The Future of Melanoma Treatment in 2026

The Future of Melanoma Treatment in 2026 webinar has just been recorded and features Michael Postow, M.D., Chief of the Melanoma Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Alexander Shoushtari, M.D., Melanoma Medical Oncologist and Cellular Therapist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

This webinar covers the following topics:

• Latest Advances in Frontline Melanoma Treatment: Who should receive which immunotherapy?
• Options for PD-1 Refractory Melanoma: Best strategies when initial anti-PD-1 treatment fails
• Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) & Novel Cellular Therapies: Current status and next steps following Lifileucel’s approval
• Less Common Melanoma Subtypes: Emerging treatment strategies for uveal, mucosal, and acral melanoma
• And more

We suggest you watch both webinars.